InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Confusion ( Chapter 19 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

REVIEWER

@REVIEWERGODDESS: ‘‘Inuyaisho and Sons’’ DOES sound like it’s a corporation. Maybe that could be in my next fanfic. I’m afraid the question you have regarding Yoko Kurama’s resemblance to Inuyasha is a rather simple one. In reality, the two characters do look alike even though they’re from different anime, but, in the context of this story, the answer as to why they look alike is also very simple, but I’m not going to give it here. Also, if you like how Inuyasha and Kagome are agreeing, then I think you’ll like this chapter. But I ask that you don’t kill me for including someone. Thanks again for reviewing, you awesome person you.
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Yoko Kurama stood by his window and stared out into his city after his ‘‘guests’’ had left. His roses stirred in the room, responding to the chill of a familiar soul. A silver light drifted through the window in front of him. He stepped back to make room for it, watching as the light began to change from the shape of a sphere, to the shape of a woman. There was a flash. A young woman stood before him, dressed in red and white. She tilted her head in the cruel way he’d come to expect from her; it made his chest tighten with need. Without a word, she passed by him, yet he knew exactly what thoughts were swirling in her mind. Long, black hair swayed as she shook her head. She was uneasy.
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‘‘Kurama, I was hoping you were lying to me.’’
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‘‘I would never speak untruths to you. Even if I could, you would know of any dishonesty.’’
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‘‘Nightwalkers here from the human world.’’ She turned to him. ‘‘What could this mean?’’ While her face betrayed no emotion, seemingly showing harsh lines of contempt, he knew what she felt was in no way austere. Layers upon layers of depth existed underneath that calm face, of that he was well aware. He only had to reach into her thoughts to understand her true worries.
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‘‘You’re thinking about how the connection between our two worlds was lost long ago. Never you mind these nightwalkers. From what I gather, the world outside has changed from the last time you where there, and these new nightwalkers,’’ He paused, ‘‘they’re much weaker then I expected.’’
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‘‘Our guests aside, we have other issues to deal with.’’
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‘‘What did you see in the forest?’’ He said as he came to stand next to her. She looked out of the window, at the dancing souls within their city, and said, ‘‘Demon spiders are getting closer and closer to the Spirit Woods. Our enemies are getting bolder.’’
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‘‘Let them be bold. They know of what will happen if they come here.’’ Yoko said dismissively.
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‘‘Yes, I know, your plants will rip them to shreds. That’s not what worries me. Kurama, they have never come this far into our territory. You don’t suppose they’re seeking our new guests do you?’’
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‘‘Perhaps. Then again a young, untrained revenant is also desirable. Do you think a certain someone might be trying to-’’
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‘‘He wouldn’t dare!’’ Kikyo hissed. ‘‘Not after we killed his master. I’d sooner destroy my own soul them let him take my daughter. ’’
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Yoko made a low sound in his throat. ‘‘Our daughter.’’ He corrected. ‘‘I still believe that she is the objective our enemies movements into our territory. Just a few days ago, Sayo and Yomi chased another sea worm away from the Spirit Woods. A nightwalker child is rare enough, let alone a girl born to true mates who also happens to be the only other existing revenant. In fact I’m still angry with her for bringing our guests here. They could another deception.’’
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‘‘And you don’t think that their untimely arrival isn’t suspicious.’’ She glared up into his golden eyes. ‘‘They arrive from within our own territory, from the human world no less, just as our enemies keep trying to infiltrate it and our forest, and you still want to throw them out without learning what they might know? You told me that they don’t seem aware of where they are, and that they’re here against their will. Someone must have pulled them here!’’
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‘‘Surely our enemies are not so powerful that they could reach across to a whole different world.’’ Yoko shook his head. ‘‘You know as well as I do that travel across the two has been naught but fairytales. In the millions of years I’ve been alive, only you have found your way here, and that was only after death, just like the rest of the human souls that wander here. For all intents and purposes, they could be lying.’’
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‘‘Then send a spy.’’ She waved her arm out in front of her as though she were swatting a fly. ‘‘Surely there is someone you could spare to keep an eye on them. I don’t like this Kurama. There has been no human contact for as long as I’ve lived here. Their arrival, the Spider King’s pawns invading our territory, the rumors of nightwalkers disappearing and reappearing after years. I’d stake my soul that they’re all connected.’’
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Yoko placed his hands on her trembling shoulders. Having been her mate for over one hundred thousand years, he could easily see into her soul and knew how worried she was. To an outsider, she would never let herself waver. Not even their daughter saw her vulnerability. That calm exterior only ever broke in front of him, and, despite all his own ways of ruling his lands, he couldn’t stand the intense feeling of frustration that he felt resonating from her soul’s core within him.
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‘‘As you wish.’’
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Kagome felt as though she had just closed her eyes when a loud bang resonated in her ears, snapping her eyes open and making her jump out of bed with her fists ready. In the second she had prepared for battle, Lilliana burst into her room, followed closely by Inuyasha, who was looking around fiercely. The source of the sudden noise quickly became obvious, as they noticed the door to Kagome room was swinging weakly on its hinges. Next to it was Sayo. She bent forward to lean on her knees, gasping. When she lifted her head, her face was bright red. ‘‘I’m s-sorry,’’ she puffed, ‘‘I really am. It’s m-my mother. She demands to s-see you all.’’
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Lilliana crossed her arms. ‘‘Excuse me? I don’t care if she’s your queen or what have you. I’m going back to bed.’’ Just as she was about to turn to go back to her room, Sayo let out a sob.
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Lilliana sucked in a breath. ‘‘Fine. Let’s go. I can’t stand begging.’’
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Sayo practically ran out of the room, and, as soon as Lilliana was gone, Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He stood there, wrinkling his nose. His hands were still in fists, and, Kagome looked closely, they were shaking. ‘‘Are you angry?’’
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Inuyasha blinked, looking at her as though he had forgotten she was there. ‘‘No. I just don’t like being around her.’’
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‘‘Sayo? Why?’’
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Inuyasha turned his head away from her so that she couldn’t see his face. ‘‘She just, makes me uneasy.’’ Without another word, he walked out of the room. By the time Kagome had caught up to the rest of them, she saw that Inuyasha was, was again, standing rigidly. She would have tapped him on the shoulder to ask him if something was wrong, but by then Sayo had pushed them into the large room where they had spoken with Yoko Kurama earlier. Strangely, the large vines and roses that surrounded the room were gone. In their place where hundred of floating, glowing spheres. Souls, Kagome thought, still unsure if she believed it. At the far end of the room, stood a woman. Kagome noted long, shiny, black hair, as the woman stood with their back to them. Something clicked behind them, and Kagome turned only a moment to see Sayo close the door behind her as she left.
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‘‘No.’’ Kagome wasn’t sure why, but her heart suddenly hurt when she heard Inuyasha whisper that. Something about his tone, the despair in it, she hadn’t heard him speak like that since he told her of his mother and father’s sordid history. She wanted to glance at him, but it was Lilliana who caught her eye first, for she was staring at Kagome without blinking. Suddenly, Lilliana broke eye contact; her eyes traveled back to the woman at the far end of the room, who, at this point, had turned around. Kagome followed Lilliana’s eyes, and felt her stomach jump up into her heart. Meeting Sayo had been unsettling. In fact, remembering their first meeting was enough to make Kagome’s hair stand on end, but that was nothing compared to what she was seeing now.
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The woman, Sayo’s mother, was beautiful. Large, intelligent brown eyes surveyed their group, traveling from one face to another. If she was disturbed by her resemblance to Kagome, she didn’t show it. Her skin was smooth, and she would have looked like a porcelain doll, had she not been moving. Kagome felt her skin crawl, a tingle that went all the way down to her toes. Looking at Sayo, was like looking at a younger, cuter version of herself. Looking at this woman was, once again, like looking into the mirror to discover the same but different face. Except this time, the difference in beauty wasn’t because she looked younger; it was because she looked more mature, confident. Kagome knew she was plain, even by nightwalker standards. She was never one to be vain, she didn’t care how she looked as long as people around her cared for who she was, but if this woman’s looks had ever been her own, Kagome was sure she’d be much more self-centered. Who-
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‘‘Kikyo.’’ Inuyasha hissed. His tone had shifted so suddenly that before Kagome could even put two thought processes together, in order to connect the word he had said with a memory that was springing to life in her mind, Inuyasha reached for the nearest object, a wooden table, and banged on it so hard, the table roared across the room till it splattered against the wall. ‘‘Is this someone’s idea of a fucking joke?’’
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Then it clicked. Kikyo. The name of the woman he had once loved over five hundred years ago? Kagome stared at the woman in question. She was surprisingly calm, her only reaction to Inuyasha’s outburst was to narrow her eyes. ‘‘Joke?’’
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‘‘What, first Sayo, and now you? Is this entire world dead set on making me feel guilty?’’
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Kikyo titled her head, her lips parting as recognition appeared on her face. ‘‘Ah, I remember you now.’’ She smiled. ‘‘Haven’t changed have you, Inuyasha? Still easy to anger.’’
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He stormed his way across the room, clearly forgetting that he was not alone, and pulled her into his arms. Kagome’s mind went blank. ‘‘You’re real? You’re alive. How?’’
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Kikyo grabbed his shoulders and pushed him off. Without warning, a blast of air shook the room so hard that Kagome and Lilliana found themselves right outside the doors of the room they were just in. ‘‘What the hell?’’ Lilliana said. Kagome pushed at the door in front of them, eager to get back inside, but it was though the doors were glued together and wouldn’t part for her. She kicked and threw her shoulder into it, but they didn’t budge. Growling in frustration, Kagome put her ear to the door and closed her eyes, concentrating her senses.
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‘‘What are you doing?’’
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‘‘Eavesdropping! Now be quiet so I can listen.’’
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‘‘Are you sure you want to-’’
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‘‘YES! Now shh!’’
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At first, Kagome heard only mummers, but as she distanced herself from her surroundings and focused her ears, she heard the faint sound of their voices, and then, their words. ‘‘The hell?’’ Came Inuyasha’s loud voice.
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‘‘Oh, excuse me, I didn’t know you wanted an audience. Or do you want your mate here to witness your pathetic display?’’
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‘‘Forget that!’’ Kagome ground her teeth. What did he say? ‘‘I meant, why are you here? How are you alive! Kikyo.’’
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‘‘Don’t touch me!’’ There was a bang, followed by Inuyasha letting out a grunt. ‘‘Now listen to me,’’ came Kikyo’s smooth voice, ‘‘I don’t know how much time has passed in your world, but here, it’s been over three hundred thousand years. Whatever feelings I may have had for you have long since run cold. I asked to speak with you so that I could learn how the human world has changed since I had last been there. If I had known you would have reacted that way, I would have asked to see you alone. I don’t wish to ‘catch up’ with an audience least of all your blood-child and mate, but that’s beside the point. Why are you here?’’
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Kagome ground her teeth together. Geez, lady, she thought. It wouldn’t kill her to show some decorum. Before Kagome could even follow those burning thoughts, Inuyasha spoke again. ‘‘We meet again, after god knows how long and that’s the first thing you focus on?’’ There was a sound of fabric shuffling, and another grunt, almost as though he were pulling himself up off the floor. ‘‘The last time I saw you, seven hundred years ago, you were lying in a poor of your own blood, frozen to the touch. You at least owe an explanation as to how the hell you’re here and still breathing?’’
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There was a tired sigh. It sounded as though that woman, Kikyo, was trying to collect herself. When she spoke again, Kagome heard no hint of emotion in her cold voice. ‘‘I have been here for eons. What we were, what my human like was, was so long ago to me, that I had all but forgotten you until you appeared here. I am alive because my soul wandered here after death, and a necromancer saw fit to attach it to the body of a child that was born without a soul.’’
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‘‘This is unbelievable.’’ Kagome had the strangest feeling of wanting to smack Inuyasha upside the head. ‘‘To think that you were alive, and all this time, I’ve been-’’ He cut himself off. So he could hold onto feelings for someone for several hundred years, yet he couldn’t stand being around her for a minute? Kagome ground her teeth together even harder.
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Kikyo exhaled, which sounded suspiciously like a scoff. ‘‘Do you really want to entertain those thoughts? From what I can see, feelings for me are the last thing you should be worried about.’’
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‘‘What’s that supposed to mean?’’
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‘‘You’re here, in a world you didn’t know existed-’’
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‘‘How the hell did you know that?’’
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‘‘It’s written all over your soul. You’re confused about where you are, what you are, and what your relationship is with your half-mate. Do you really believe that those tiny sparks of emotion you feel for me are more important then trying to control the inner beast that has sprang to life inside you? Or trying to learn why you are here, or even the fact that you and your mate’s bond is hanging on by a thread. Now that is something I can help you with, if you really wish to cut your last connection with her.’’
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When Inuyasha spoke this time there was a deadly warning in his voice. ‘‘You’re not the same woman I remember.’’
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‘‘Living for several millennia will do that to you. Now then, you never answered my question. How and why are you here?’’
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‘‘How the fuck should I know? One second I’m in my world, the next I’m falling into-’’
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Lilliana yelped as a tremor shook the ground so hard she fell off her feet and right onto her behind. Kagome was thrown against the door she had her ear pressed against, holding onto the flat surface as another loud shockwave made the floor undulate violently beneath her. The next second, the door was pushed forward and Inuyasha ran out, followed closely by a rather severe looking Kikyo. By the time Kagome came out from behind the door, Yoko had appeared.
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‘‘What is happening, Kurama?’’ Kikyo demanded.
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Yoko’s face was like stone, emotionless and unmoving. Yet, when he spoke, there was something menacing in his speech. ‘‘Something has breached my wall.’’ He turned as a young man ran down the hallway. Kagome blinked, trying to make sure if the quake had made her dizzy or if the young man running in their direction really had horns coming out of his forehead, and three pointed ears on each side of his head. Despite the strangeness of the horns and ears, he was a handsome man, with long, slick, black hair, and, was he running toward them with his eyes completely closed? The young man skidded to a stop directly in front of them.
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‘‘Demon spiders, Father.’’ He said. ‘‘They’re climbing up the trees.’’
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‘‘Find your sister, Yomi.’’ Kurama growled, his voice vicious. ‘‘Keep her safe.’’
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‘‘Yes, sir.’’ Yomi all but glided out of the room.
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‘‘Damn him.’’ Kikyo whispered. Before another word could be said, the room was torn open, as a crack split the wall right down the middle, separating Kurama and Lilliana from Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyo, and from the newly formed fissure came the two giant, hairy limbs. Kagome tried to keep herself standing, staring, transfixed, as the appendages pushed the two sides of the room further apart. Fangs and eight eyes appeared as the hairy head of the creature slowly rose from hole. Lilliana screamed, scampering away as the spider’s round body made the hole bigger. Kagome couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even remember that she had to breathe. She looked everywhere other then the spider, hoping that a slimy worm didn’t come out after it. In the midst of the chaos, she saw Yoko Kurama pull a rose out from behind his hair. She would have laughed and made a joke about how it was hardly time to take the monster out to dinner, until the rose turned into a twelve foot long whip with thorns, which wrapped itself around one of the monster’s right limbs, slashing them to pieces within seconds.
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The spider made a loud squealing noise. As it thrashed, Kikyo came up next to Kagome, aiming a large bow and arrow at the monster’s other arms. With one shot, a light flashed, and the rest of the spider’s limps were turned to dust. The creature fell from its hole, with Yoko leaping out after it. Kikyo stood her ground, as smaller spiders came into the room, crawling up the walls and hissing at their prey. Kagome shivered, seeing her nightmares bare in front of her eyes, but too afraid to move.
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‘‘Don’t just stand there, you fools!’’ Kikyo pushed her aside, shooting the creatures one by one. ‘‘Move, unless you want to be a spider’s dinner!’’
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Instinct spurred Kagome into action. She jumped across the fissure the large spider had made, grabbed Lilliana’s hands and began pulling her down the hallway, away from the monsters, and away from Kikyo. No sooner had she gone down the long hallway, when the walls were torn apart piece by piece like a collapsing puzzle. The cause the destruction was made clear, as the hairy and moist bodies of spiders appeared from between the cracks. Kagome and Lilliana screamed, watching them snap their slimy jaws as they began pushing their arms inward.
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Kagome didn’t blink, even as claws flashed out, slicing the limbs off right in front of her eyes. The spiders squealed and fell back as their green, slimy innards fell into the floor. ‘‘What the fuck do you think you two are doing?’’
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A tiny flicker of sanity came to life in Kagome’s mind. Inuyasha appeared in her vision. She felt his hands on her shoulders, shaking her into coherent thought. ‘‘Don’t freeze, run!’’
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Kagome nodded weakly. Inuyasha took hold of her wrist, as well as Lilliana’s. He jumped out of the cracks in the wall. As they fell between injured spiders, Kagome saw out into the trees. In the weak light of the souls, she saw nightwalkers fighting the spiders, tearing their limbs off with swords, whips, some even with their bare hands. She saw giant foxes and bears grapple with the arms of spiders, plants with mouths eating, as well as being eaten, by the arachnids. In those few seconds of falling, Kagome felt as though she had seen the whole forest fight a war with the giant insects. As she tumbled into the limbs of a giant tree, Inuyasha’s and Lilliana’s hands slipped from her fingers, and Kagome found herself sliding between giant leaves. She hit the ground with a loud ‘‘oof.’’
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She was on her feet within seconds, running. The area around blurred from dark greens and browns to complete black, as Kagome ran out of the Spirit Woods and back into Ghost Forest. She didn’t care how much noise the leaves and branches she crunched under her feet made as she ran. She didn’t care that she kept crashing into bushes and trees as she raced away from it all. She ran from all the giant monsters, from this world, from the worries and fears of what was happening in the human world, from souls and talks of mates and soul mates, and from Inuyasha and what she did or didn’t know about their relationship. She ran till she was out of breath, till her arms and legs moved mechanically, till she hit something soft and tumbled down on top of it.
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Whatever she had hit groaned, and Kagome looked around wildly, knowing she couldn’t see but also wanting to get away from whatever monster she had crashed into. ‘‘Ow.’’
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Kagome froze. ‘‘Inuyasha?’’
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‘‘Fuck. Kagome, ow.’’ He whined.
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All of Kagome’s muddled thoughts and fears were swept away by another emotion. Hearing his voice and not seeing his face made certain things spring to life in her mind, and she pushed herself off him. ‘‘You’ll be fine.’’
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‘‘Where’s Lilliana.’’ Rustling. He must have pushed himself up.
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‘‘How should I know? I’m just as blind in here as you are.’’
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‘‘The fuck are you so pissy for? Earth to Kagome, is now really the right time for you to be picking a fight with me?’’
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‘‘I’m not picking anything. Now will you shut up. I need to think.’’
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Inuyasha listened as Kagome grumbled under her breath and stomped around. While she needed to think, he was doing his best not to think, and so far, it was working. He wouldn’t think about Kikyo, about how his heart suddenly felt like bursting when he saw her, he wouldn’t question his own emotions, he wouldn’t think about giant spiders, he wouldn’t think about himself, he wouldn’t think about Kagome. He should only just listen, but that didn’t stop the thoughts from coming into his head anyway. Worry for Lilliana was the first thought to worm its way into his mind. Morbid curiosity of those giant monsters was the second. The last, and most frustrating thought was what was making Kagome so furious. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but the rustling of leaves caught his attention. Inuyasha didn’t just hear something; he smelled it. The acrid scent of festering flesh reached his nose, followed by the low hum of something getting closer.
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Without thinking, he reached out into the darkness, grabbed Kagome and pulled her aside with him. His back hit something, and when he felt around, he felt of the rough bark of a tree. ‘‘Hey, Inuyasha, what-’’ She let out a surprised squeak when he covered her mouth so she could not make any more noise. Whatever was coming close to them hummed again. Inuyasha kept his nose and ears on it, and tightened his arms around Kagome as she began to struggle. The sounds of Kagome trying to break free from him were so loud. The grass that crunched under her feet and the whispering of moving fabric as she wriggled made humming of the creature grow louder, into a stalking, predatory growl. Was it hunting? Kagome wriggled and growled, and the humming of the thing increased, as did the sounds of footsteps.
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Inuyasha leaned into Kagome, and said, as quietly as he could, ‘‘Something’s out there, and it hunts by sound and movement. Don’t move, unless you want us both to be eaten.’’ She moved her head and he swore he thought could feel her glaring at him over her shoulder. For a moment, he thought she was going to rebel, but he felt her turn her head around. She kept still, letting him keep her close and quiet as he listened for the monster. The creature hummed in the distance, but it didn’t sound as though it was moving. Inuyasha slowed down his breathing, and commanded Kagome to do the same.
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The creature finally moved. The shuffling of foliage sounded close, and then it began to lower in volume as the creature moved away. Inuyasha waited until he couldn’t hear or smell the thing anymore before he lowered his hand from Kagome’s mouth.
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‘‘Is it gone?’’ She asked.
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‘‘Yeah. I think so’’
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‘‘Good. You can let me go now.’’
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‘‘Not yet. I don’t want to move until I’m sure it’s not coming back.’’
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Kagome sighed. ‘‘Inuyasha, let me go, or I swear I wish scream loud enough for that thing to return.’’
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He hissed out an angry whisper. ‘‘What’s your deal woman? I’m just trying to protect you.’’
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‘‘Maybe I don’t want you to protect me. Maybe I don’t have enough faith that you can anymore. After all, what are we now? Certainly not full mates, which I doubt we’ll ever be, considering we don’t even know who we are to each other anymore. You certainly seemed to care more about a woman you hadn’t seen in several hundred years then me, and you can’t even stand being around a liar like me. Now let go.’’
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Inuyasha growled. ‘‘Is that what this is all about? Boy, you sure picked the perfect time to bring that up. Here we are, in the middle of a pitch black forest, not even my eyes can see though, and you think it’s dandy to talk relationship issues here?’’
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‘‘Shut up and let me go.’’
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‘Pull her closer.’
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For once, he and his inner voice agreed. Kagome’s breasts pressed against his chest as he turned her around and did as his inner voice commanded. ‘‘Mate, friend, ex’s, half-mates, or whatever we are to each other doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still a part of my family, and, whether you like it or not, that means I will protect you, no matter how pissed off at me you are.’’
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She sounded as though she were about to say something but paused. She was quiet for a while before she spoke again. ‘‘That’s a pretty bold thing to say to the woman you called a liar.’’
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‘‘You want me to apologize that badly? Fine. I’m sorry. Now will you stop being a bitch about it so we can work together to get out of this world and back to our own.’’
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‘‘That’s a fine way to apologize to someone!’’ Kagome pushed against his chest.
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‘‘Keep your voice down.’’
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‘‘Let me go.’’
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Part of him really wanted to. The need to release her and hope he would never have to deal with her drama again was so strong, he felt as though he were fighting himself not do it. ‘Don’t let go. Put her in her place. She’s lost faith in her male. Fix it.’
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He didn’t know whether to feel disgusted with himself for having to agree with that voice, or with her for forcing him to bend to it. ‘‘Look. If you really want to be free of me,’’ he swallowed, ‘‘then fine.’’
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Kagome stopped struggling. ‘‘W-what?’’
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‘‘If we really can’t fix whatever it was that we broke, then fine. I’ll agree to let Kikyo break our mating bond. But right now there is no way to get to her, and we’re stuck here. Alone in a world we both know nothing about, with no idea how to get home. Lilliana is right. No matter what we feel about each other, we should at least call it truce until we find a way to get out of here.’’
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‘‘Do you really want that?’’ Inuyasha wished he could see her face. He didn’t know whether he was trying to bring a visual to the confused and, maybe it was his imagination, hurt look sound of her voice, or if he was just silent because he didn’t want to break the moment. When he spoke again, no matter what he said, he felt as though there would be no reversing it.
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‘‘I don’t know. It goes against everything I believe in. I grew up knowing that a mating bond was forever. To break it--I don’t know anything about how I feel right now, besides angry.’’ He turned his head away, and breathed in to try and calm his racing heartbeat. Imagining the humiliation of breaking off a bond he’d sworn to see through to the end–‘‘Do you want to break it?’’
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‘‘I-I don’t know.’’ She exhaled. ‘‘I don’t want to talk or think about it.’’
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He squeezed her a little, though he didn’t know why. Maybe he felt as though it would make her feel better, maybe he was nervous about who they were to each other anymore, or maybe he didn’t want to let her go yet, but as his arms slipped away from her he found himself talking again. ‘‘Then let’s not bring it up until we are ready. Let’s focus on the now, and right now, we need to find Lilliana and get out her here.’’
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Kagome’s voice was soft as she spoke. ‘‘Right.’’
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